Taiwan Quick Take

STAFF WRITER WITH AGENCIES

■ EducationRole models sought

Minister of Education Huang Jong-tsun (黃榮村) yesterday announced a campaign to find 100 outstanding public figures or successful businesspeople from various walks of life whose life stories could inspire students in their studies. Huang said students need more a diverse paradigm to emulate for their school careers in the light of the utilitarianism that has over-whelmed campuses. The 100 role models will travel nationwide to promote the idea of diligence. Wu Jing-jyi (吳靜吉), head of the Foundation for Scholarly Exchange presided over yesterday's news conference and announced that the Ministry of Interior, the National Youth Commission and the Council for Cultural Affairs will participate in the campaign.

■ Education

Dropouts face rejection

A survey released yesterday by the Humanistic Education Foundation (人本教育基金會) showed that the number of dropouts had reached 2,536 by the end of last month, while only 1,063 students returned to school during the past year. The rate of resumption of studies is only about 40 percent. The foundation said that about 70 percent of the drop-outs that social workers had helped return to school were then rejected by school authorities. Most schools do not welcome dropouts because they fear they will cause trouble to the other students. The foundation criticized this attitude and urged the Ministry of Education to enhance its supervision over the local schools to assure that dropouts have a right to resume their education.

■ Diplomacy

Tung pledges cooperation

Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa (董建華) said Thursday that the territory will try to improve its economic and cultural relations with Taiwan. When asked in a press conference to comment on a proposal to establish a free trade area between Hong Kong and Taiwan, Tung said he was pleased to see that Taiwan and Hong Kong have improved their relations in trade, investment, and tourism in the past six years. He said his government will be pleased to do anything that will improve these relations.

■ Crime

Police nab forgers

The Taipei Police yesterday arrested a fraud suspect and seized more than 300 semi-finished counterfeit credit cards. The suspect, Chiu Hung-ming (丘宏銘), was arrested when he picked up an express air parcel containing the cards. A spokesman for the Taipei Police Criminal Investigation Bureau said that, according to a preliminary investigation, the semi-finished counterfeit cards and related data of the original card owners were sent from Hong Kong, but the original card owners are people of the US, the UK and Australia. The faked cards will be sent to foreign countries after being finished in Taiwan. The police are trying to track down other members of the counterfeiting gang, he added.

■ Crime

Taiwanese student killed

A Taiwanese student who was studying music in Russia was killed in Tanbvy, the representative office of Taiwan in Moscow confirmed yesterday, CNA reported. The news agency did not provide any personal details about the victim, such as name, age, sex, or whether the student was the victim of foul play or an accident. However, the office also confirmed that a suspect was arrested, CNA said.

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